Apologies. Here's a Preview.

This week's been hell as far as me trying to get back into the groove of things. I'm in class until 3:30 or later Monday through Thursday, so I usually am not home until after 6 thanks to awful bus schedules. Which means I have only a small window to shower, eat and get stuff done until the Isles game is on. And don't get me started on days when my manager schedules me to work (which thankfully are scarce during the school week... but I digress).

I'm sure you don't care about all of that, though- you just want a preview. So here it is.

The Isles are going to see quite a bit of the Hurricanes between now and the end of the month; they play each other tonight, there are another couple of games (perhaps) until All-Star Weekend in Ottawa, and then they face off again on January 31. Before this, they had played only one game this season, which the Isles won 4-3 in a shootout on January 3 (why does that feel so far away now?).

Both teams are on a high right now; each has shutout the Capitals 3-0 this past week. Jussi Jokinen had a pair of goals (one shorthanded, one power-play) and Jiri Tlusty also had a PPG in last night's win over Washington, which means the Isles will have to look out for special teams and fire back with some of their own. (Are you listening, power play?)

An astonishing stat for you: Carolina is apparently 10-0-3 in its last 13 against New York, and we haven't beaten them in regulation since 2006. I was under the impression that there was at least one regulation win in there somewhere, but I guess not. The Isles do need all the points that they can get, and they can't afford to give any away to the 'Canes, who are battling right there with New York to get out of the Eastern Conference cellar. Eric Staal is not having the season he is used to having, but he can still get one past the Isles, and he has in eight straight games at Nassau Coliseum.

Meanwhile, the Isles' own star, John Tavares, has the longest points streak by an Islander since Mark Parrish (12 games) in 2001. His stretches 11 games so far, and it has a very good chance of continuing today as long as the top line continues its dominance. JT's linemates, Kyle Okposo and Matt Moulson, have had points in the last five and six games, respectively, and are contributing wonderfully to the score sheet, no doubt being helped by their center's success.

It's wonderful to see how much JT has grown from his rookie year- his skating has improved so much, he's tons stronger on the puck, his playmaking skills are sharper than ever and he's shooting (and scoring) from everywhere. He's also a mature young man at 21, and I wouldn't be shocked if somewhere down the line he gets a permanent A or maybe even a C, though maybe it would be easier or better for him to concentrate on scoring. He's still very young and has a lot more room to improve.

Meanwhile, the secondary scoring has heated up somewhat. Michael Grabner has three goals in three games- granted, two are empty-netters, but scoring on an empty net is harder than you think!- and Josh Bailey had a beautiful shorthanded backhander against Philly the other night that ended up being the game-winner. Both of these players have looked much better in recent games, and Bailey especially has had some nice chances. I hope this story continues to develop, with some support from Matt Martin who has professed to want to contribute more on offense. Tonight would be the perfect night to do so.

Well, that's all for now. Let's go, Islanders!